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Google Music to Car Stereo

GreatGoo

GreatGoo

Well-Known Member
I just started using google music and now that my GNex is a great resource of songs what is the best thing to purchase to sync my GNex to car stereo with good quality? Thanks for any input!
 
My 2005 Ford F150 has no bluetooth, or sync or even a 3.5mm input. So I have been using a very old belkin fm transmitter. It is .... crappy to say the least.

So, I may get a new aftermarket stereo one day with an aux input jack or bluetooth. But until then, I am considering THIS to replace the old belkin.

I cant tell you yet how it is with quality, but I like all the Griffin stuff I have tried so far. I use their dual usb power plugs all over. And their wall chargers are great too.
 
Renegade360 said:
I'm rocking the Tape adaptor :}
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Same here. No aux or usb connector for me. :( And all the FM transmitters I've tried, even the expensive fancy ones, suck royally. Doesn't help that I live near Boston and it's hard to find a free station. But the tape adapters are nice and reliable. Heck, my car's not that old, either ;) it's a 2006.

Edited: I've tried the Griffin one, the iTrip. Just didn't work, wasn't even close to as clear as my $8 tape adapter, unfortunately.
 
clb2196 said:
Same here. No aux or usb connector for me. :( And all the FM transmitters I've tried, even the expensive fancy ones, suck royally. Doesn't help that I live near Boston and it's hard to find a free station. But the tape adapters are nice and reliable. Heck, my car's not that old, either ;) it's a 2006.

Edited: I've tried the Griffin one, the iTrip. Just didn't work, wasn't even close to as clear as my $8 tape adapter, unfortunately.
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There are adapters out there for a ton of factory radios that will let you plug a 3.5mm into it. Might be worth looking into.
 
Dubbin1 said:
There are adapters out there for a ton of factory radios that will let you plug a 3.5mm into it. Might be worth looking into.
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I've looked, it's like $100 (FWIW the expensive FM adapters I tried were either gifts or borrowed). My $8 tape adapter works perfectly, nice and loud and clear, has a cord keeper. *shrug* Works fine for me!

Edited: GreatGoo, like this one, for the Rav4 which is what we have.
 
GreatGoo said:
I just started using google music and now that my GNex is a great resource of songs what is the best thing to purchase to sync my GNex to car stereo with good quality? Thanks for any input!
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If you have input for 3.5m in your car get TuneLink.

The bluetooth connection with nexus is great ...soon as I turn my car on music starts streaming from phone I love it!
 
I know it's been mentioned, but the bluetooth speakerphones with FM Transmitters can also work. I have a few, but mostly been using my Jabra Cruiser for it. The nice part, is if I'm in an area with many stations, you just hold the button for a few seconds, and it'll scan for the clearest "open" one to use. Never had too many issues, and that was even after trips through the cities and whatnot. Plus, the Next and Previous buttons work with the Music player in the phone to skip songs.

Agreed though, if you have a way to hard-wire in (a 3.5mm input jack to your stereo ideally), it's much easier.
 
I had to buy an adapter from Pac Audio for my '03 Avalanche. The adapter just pkugs in the back of the radio and allows you to add two inputs. I used one to add a 3.5mm jack to the dash and used the other to add a cable with a proprietary Apple xonnector that transmits the audio signal and charges my iPhone at the same time. I spent about a hundred dollars and an hour and a half of my time installing it, but it was completely worth it.
 
I got the iSimple Tranzit USB installed in my car and I'm very happy with it. It's an FM modulator which plugs in between your antenna and the head unit that can be turn on or off. It basically gives you an AUX input at the flip of a switch and a USB port for charging.

iSimple - Universal Radio Audio Integration Kit - Black - IS32

The price includes installation, which took less than 1 hour. Sound quality is great and there is no interference compared to my old FM transmitter.
 
I bought the Motorola T505 when I had the OG Droid and have used it for the X2 and now the Nexus. It connects via bluetooth to the phone and transmits an FM radio signal to the car's tuner. I live in a city and the T505 produces a strong enough signal to overtake a static-y station without hiss. For $50 I couldn't be happier. As an added bonus, I can use the same device to make hands-free phone calls using the mic on the T505 and hearing the caller on the car speakers.
 
You can sometimes find adapters that will plug in to various ports on the back of the radio. For example, I bought one for my Toyota Corolla that plugs in to the port that was designed for a 6-disc CD changer on high-end models of the car. I then connected the necessary cables and drilled a hole in my control panel for the 3.5mm input jack.

TOY-AUX | TSS-Radio

That's what I have.

Do some research and you may be able to find what adapter you can get for your vehicle. Just be warned, you will probably have to remove the front panel and the radio (which can be a pain in the ass), so make sure you're comfortable doing that and can find instructions on how to do it if you need them.
 
GreatGoo said:
Sorry I'm not following. Where would you plug in this adapter on the radio?
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It's pretty simple, GreatGoo -- either your radio has an auxiliary input or it doesn't. If it does, plug it into that. Does your radio have any selection like "AUX" or "Satellite" that might be available to use as an input?

Next, either your radio has a cassette player or it doesn't. If it does, use a tape adapter.

If neither of those two things exist, us an FM adapter. It plugs into the antennae hole in your radio and pipes the signal on a particular FM frequency.

You need to start with what your radio has, not what the GNex does. There are three basic ways to do it and it all depends on what your radio has to offer.
 
I picked up a Sony head unit for just this reason. It was cheap (<$150), it has built in Bluetooth AND an aux jack, and I freakin' love having my phone sit in my pocket but still being able to start up music from it.
 
Jay3 said:
If neither of those two things exist, us an FM adapter. It plugs into the antennae hole in your radio and pipes the signal on a particular FM frequency.
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I agree with everything Jay3 says (i.e. the preferred order of solutions).

However, the "FM adapter" that I use does not "plug in" to either phone or radio. It attaches as a standalone item to my visor and connects to the phone via bluetooth while sending out a local FM signal that the radio picks up. If your car radio does not have an inoput on front or back nor have a cassette player (like my stock head unit), the bluetooth solution is probably your best bet.

The music quality is equivalent to a good FM radio connection. The other options typically produce a better/cleaner/richer sound, but FM is adequate for me in the car.
 
How is the sound quality with the bluetooth streaming guys?

I use the headphone jack, as I have a Scion and they all come with 1/8 inch inputs and iPod connectors. Very handy.
 
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